QChennai: Strike Enters 7th Day; HC Allows TTV’s Plea in FERA Case

Here is your roundup of the top stories from Chennai.

1. CM Reiterates Appeal to Striking Transport Workers

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami renewed his appeal to the striking transport workers to return to work on Tuesday, this time in the Assembly, even as the DMK urged him to hold talks with the striking unions personally.

The government continued to claim that the unions affiliated to the opposition parties were “misleading” the workers, and cited the observations of the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court in this regard.

(Source: The Hindu)

2. 'It Took Time for Me to Realise OPS Was Right About Sasikala'

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday contended before the Madras High Court that the disqualified MLAs, owing allegiance to sidelined leader TTV Dhinakaran, cannot hoodwink people by claiming that they met the Governor on 22 August and handed over a representation only to get him replaced with another individual from the treasury benches.

The counsel pointed out that the Governor was not vested with any power to replace an individual holding the post of Chief Minister with another individual from the ruling party. Therefore, the argument that the 18 writ petitioners had lost confidence only on Palaniswami and not on the government as such would not hold water, he argued.

(Source: The Hindu)

3. HC Allows TTV's Plea in FERA Case

A single bench of Justice S Vimala on Tuesday allowed a criminal revision petition filed by TTV Dhinakaran and set aside an order of the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (EO-II), Chennai, who had rejected his plea to examine 17 witnesses in a FERA case.

Dhinakaran had filed the review petition before the Madras High Court seeking examination of defence witnesses in the case booked against him under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) of 1973. He was accused of having allegedly acquired $1,04,93,313 in foreign exchange from unauthorised dealers in violation of FERA provisions.

(Source: The Hindu)

4. Five Months into the Job, Vigilance Commissioner Transferred

Barely five months after being appointed Vigilance Commissioner following a Madras High Court (Madurai Bench) direction that an officer of integrity be appointed to the post to monitor the probe in the multi-crore gutkha scam, senior IAS officer VK Jeyakodi has been transferred by the State Government. Jeyakodi also held the post of Commissioner for Administrative Reforms.

Mohan Pyare, Additional Chief Secretary and Commissioner for Land Administration, has been named as the new Vigilance Commissioner. Jeyakodi will move to Pyare’s post. The two officers will assume their new responsibilities on Wednesday.

(Source: The Hindu)

5. City Airport to Get Tunnel With Access to Satellite Terminal

With a tunnel underneath to transport passengers and baggage, the Chennai airport is likely to have a satellite terminal soon to cater to the growing passenger traffic. For this, the Chennai Metro Rail has been roped in to see how tunnelling can be carried out in the apron area of the airport.

This project is likely to cost around ₹700 crore.

(Source: The Hindu)

6. CBI Takes up Probe in Ramajeyam Murder Case

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday took up the inquiry into the sensational murder of KN Ramajeyam, brother of former DMK Minister KN Nehru, in Tiruchi on 29 March 2012.

The CBI case is based on a complaint from Latha Ramajeyam, wife of Ramajeyam, who suspected that her husband had been kidnapped. Ramajeyam left home around 5 am and did not return. Both his mobile phones were initially switched off, and later, some unidentified persons spoke in a “hard voice.” The kidnapping case was altered to that of murder after a Village Administrative Officer informed the Srirangam police that a body that seemed to be that of Ramajeyam was found along a river bed.

(Source: The Hindu)

7. Survey Shows TN Students Tech Savvy, but Ignorant

The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) that studied young adolescents aged 14-18 in the country this year has indicated that youngsters in rural Tamil Nadu had aspirations but were unable to take them forward. While access to laptops was easier owing to State government policy, the young adults used it to watch movies rather than for education.

ASER selected 60 villages in Madurai district for the survey, which was done by 40 college students. As many as 1,000 young adults were surveyed by college students, who talked at length to the participants about their aspirations.

(Source: The Hindu)